Building a LEAN Team: Key Strategies for Optimal Productivity

If you fell short of your Productivity Improvements in your organization in 2023, do not repeat the same approach!

If you were wildly successful in achieving your productivity results, high five and I’m right there with you! However, I do ask you if you think the efforts are sustainable? I see leaders claim victory one year to only fall into the abyss of waste and destabilization because they’ve not secured a solid foundation for apparent improvements. Might it have been brute force but with little adoption,lack of forums to remove barriers or even assure the legacy of good work is ingrained in future generations of personnel?

While you ponder these thoughts, let me share with you as building blocks to shore up good work and enable you to sustain the results. If you did not do any of these things, there is no shame in going back and revisiting these foundational elements. The only shame is to not do this and watch great work crumble.?

I’m an expert in this area as I helped build a Lean Organization that started out at $500k / year cost savings to sustainably yielding $5MM annually. It was brute force in the beginning to build the capability, buy-in and enable results. It is often a tactical implementation without strategic vision and I’m here to share with you wisdom that is invaluable:

To sustain the gains of a Lean Initiative, we must build Lean Teams.

While investing in a well-being regiment including a good diet, weight training, cardio and a positive mindset is all important in building a lean body, building Lean Teams takes the same investment. A sound body and a sound mind will sustainably give you good results and longevity.?

START HERE:?

Build a Servant Leadership Culture: Every conversation should start with how is this going to help the people doing the work? It should never start with what are going to do to achieve $100,000 in cost savings. It should start with what do we need to do to help the people to eliminate waste and make their job easier? What is the investment needed and what do we think the ROI will be. When we start with service, the results will follow. When we start with the results, you will fail to serve.?

Make Small Sustainable changes. Despite good intentions and excellent training on Lean Methodology, only 20% will truly retain the knowledge. Develop an implementation timeline that enables understanding and WIFM (what’s in it for me) and develop confidence and capability first by measuring organizational maturity. Only when we achieve each maturity level, do we progress to the next level. Let the organization dictate the timeline vs. pushing through an artificial one based on results. Lack of adoption will destabilize the organization.?

Lean Communications (efficiency & kindness) : learn discipline in how we communicate in an efficient and kind manner will yield faster responses when time is critical. It’s important to teach this to our people else, the waste of excessive emails and meetings will take over any speed you were hoping for.?

Misunderstandings need to be met head on: Any initiative needs a forum to identify risks and escalate barriers. Without this pressure relief valve, frustration will simmer below the surface and blindside you when you don’t get the expected result. Also challenge yourself to ask the hard question: do your people feel safe enough to escalate issues. This speaks to your culture and a bigger issue than any Lean Initiative.?

Showcasing achievements builds pride and anchors the work – while it’s often built into Lean Initiatives to parade the results to senior leadership like a royal event, we lose sight of what is important. Showcasing value is not for the leadership, but it's for the people. The outcome is to instill a sense of pride for an accomplishment such that they’re encouraged to repeat the effort and be an advocate to amplify the Lean Initiative for future generations.?

When we invest in building a Lean Team, not only do we get short term results; we achieve long term health and well being in the organization to sustain productivity improvements.?

So there you have it, the key to optimizing 2024 productivity improvements.??

I’m here to listen and perhaps we can have a conversation about how I can get you off on the right foot for 2024 improvements.?

If this episode or this year has been valuable, follow me into 2024.

If you are a CEO who would love a partner to help you with a business challenge, be your #2 or help develop the team of tomorrow, let us partner in 2024.

To hear more about This topic please tune into my podcast that is releasing this Friday 1/5/24

Be well-Deb